, 1887-06-16
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
THE WHITE HOUSE DURING THE
PRESIDENTS ABSENCE.


How Other Presidents Have Spent Their
vacations-UEfortunate Travels OF Our
Executives - Garleld's Assassin alton.
Jackson's Nose Pulling.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, June 3.
The White House is as deserted during the
presidents absence as the catacombs. The
tread Of sightseers only now falls upon the
tiled floor of it's grand vestibule, and the voice
of the Office seeker aud the visiting statesman
is unheard. When called at tho great white
palace this afternoon l found two solitary
women trying to peep through the wall OF
broken glass which separates the entrance
hall from the grand promenade corridor. Tho
east room has not visitor, and the shabby
stair carpet which, worn by the tread Of
thousands of place hunters, leads to the room
of Col. Lamont, looks the shabbier for its
temporary disuse The old messenger who
announces the callers to the president was alb
sent from his post, and the colored man
whose cannon ball head bows you into the
private secretary's room was not to be seen.
The presidents room bore the same deserted
air, and the house reminded me of those
have seen for rent "fully furnished" The
presidents desk was in complete order His
papers had been carefully piled up, and his
great steel pen was laid on the top OF a
bundle OF legal looking papers and his ink
stand was closed. Lamont's desk was in sim
liar order, and the only striking feature that
now1 holds the place of his working hand
10 a paper weight Of glass through which
shines out the face of President Cleveland.
The eyes of this face are turned directly
toward Mr.. Henley, who presides over La
mont's room during his ABSENCE and whose
mouth is as tightly closed as that Of the God
dsss of Silence. +**
President Cleveland is exceedingly fond of
the mountains. He spent his vacations in
the Adirondacks when he was governor of
New York and his first vacation as president
was taken there. Last year he chose the top
Of the Alleghenes for the scene of his honey
moon, and now he has taken his wife to his
old camping ground to spend the anniversary
of their marriage. A very pretty story was
told me at the time of his nomination of one
Of his earlier adventures while on one of his
gubernatorial vacations, Some of the men
at the hotel where his party were stopping
shot doe and captured a little fawn, which
they brought to the hotel. There were sew
erol in the party, and it was question as to
whom the fawn belonged and as to what
should be done with it. The ladies of the
hotel were unanimously for setting the trem-
bling little thing at liberty, but the men OBJ
jected. 1t was finally decided to leave the
matter TO Governor Cleveland. sort of
trial was then held and arguments for and
against letting the fawn go were made. Gov
ernor Cleveland listened to the end and then
promptly said he would decide that the fawn
20 free, and it was liberated.
.*+
Ceyelapd is the OnIy preyi1ent we have
had for many years who has taken his vaca-
tions in the mountains Washington went
to his home at Mount Vernon whenever he
could get an opportunity, and his visitors
during his stay there were so numerous that
the milk of 100 cows was not enough to
supply his table. He apparently liked trav-
cling, and during his presidency he made
tour of the south in white chariot with fine
horses He received an ovation everywhere
and he was always well treated He made
also tour OF the eastern states, but would
not go into Rhode Island, and John Hancock,
the governor Of Massachusetts, insulted him
by refusing to call upon him when he first
came to Boston. He stayed at, his own house
and said that he was as big as Washington,
who was nothing more than the chief of "a
confederation Of states, while he himself was
the chief of a state. He finally called upon
the president when the citizens of Boston
cried shame and made him do so. Jeffer-
son, Madison and Monroe took their vaca-
tions by going to their homes which We're in
Virginia and not far away. And the two
Adamses went to Quincy, near Boston. An
drew jackson used to 20 down the Potomac
with Amos Kendall and spend week at q
time fishing from pile of rocks in the center
of Hampton Roads which is now known ms
Fort Wool or tire "Rip Raps,' and John
Tyler owned n little country house on
the banks of little lake near
Fortress Monroe Buchanan sometimes left
Washington for Wheatland, his country
home near Lancaster, Pa, and President
Lincoln was too busy during his presidency to
get much farther away from Washington
than the Soldiers Home cottage. which he
occupied during the summers of the war
Grant liked the seaside, and he was a born
traveller. He went to Long Branch often
during his presidency, and Arthur did like
wise sNh
Garfield was just starting for Long Branch
when he was assassinated by Guiteau in the
depot here, and il is remarkable that the
presidents in our past who have travelled dur
ing their administrations have met with
trouble during their trips Andrew Jackson
received the greatest insult of his life when hs
was on the way to lay the corner stone of the
IhOHulIeilb W tuc VI at
Fredericksburg, Va. The steamer in which
he left Washington stopped at Alexandria
and during the wait discharged naval lieu
tenant rushed into the cabin and thrusting
his haul into tho presidents face violently
pulled his nose. The mans name was Ran
dolph, and his friends hurried him away be-
fore jackson could retaliate. During his trip
to the north President jackson narrowly
escaped death from the breaking down of a
bridge in NV Yorl, city, and his horse took
frigt. or broadway and would have thrown
him had he rot be..n an excellent rider. On
anoth,r cN"'~ion the wnodng OF cannon
ca'nc W pl II f'y inches Of singeing his
stiff white h1ir, and, on the whole, his
famous trip was fun of accidents John Ty-
Ter came near being blown to pieces during
the excursion which he. in company with his
cabinet and others, m.,'ie down the Potomac
OH the Princeton. The trip was for the test
ing OF a new gun. The gun burst and killed
two members Of the cabinet and also Mr..